


Fire and Ice

by saramcm



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mutants, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M, also had too much fun with this one, anyway it's gay and they have powers, the prompt was superhero au but I'd classify what I wrote as a mutant au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 14:28:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11106480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saramcm/pseuds/saramcm
Summary: Pyrokinesis, the psychic ability to manipulate and speed up the atomic state to the point of combustion.Cryokinesis, the psychic ability to manipulate and slow down the the atomic state to the freezing point.Prompt: Crankiplier Superhero AU.





	Fire and Ice

_Pyrokinesis._

Mark remembered the very first time it happened. He linked it to his very first memory of anger; nothing like the tantrums he’d throw when his mother would refuse to buy him his favorite candy, or when he was forced to go to bed before he wanted to. Sincere indignation, annoyance, irritation, true anger he would feel at the age of eight while witnessing playground injustice, of all things.

They taunted the boy – smaller than their bullies, smaller than Mark himself – with his bag atop the monkey bars. The boy cried, too terrified of going up there and trying his mighty best to jump up and grab the bag, but to no avail. More mocking ensued, making fun of the boy’s tears, and Mark just couldn’t understand _why_ anyone would do that. _Why_ would anyone be so unfair? _How_ could someone take pleasure in hurting others?

“Leave him alone!” He finally snapped, and the world seemed to stop. The two bullies and the young boy stared at him with wide eyes, and when Mark took a step forward they ran, leaving the bag behind. Even the young boy, who tripped over his own feet just a few meters ahead. “Hey, wait— Your bag!”

“Don’t! Please, go away, monster!”

_What?_

No one was more scared than Mark himself when he looked down and saw the flames around his hands.

 

 

_Cryokinesis._

Ethan was much younger when he found out, and his memories of the incident were muddle because of it. Only four years old and with a very limited understanding of the world around him. All Ethan knew for sure about life was that ice cream was good and he wished it was all he ever ate.

His parents often took him to the hospital due to this strange condition he had. His older brother kept saying Ethan was part lizard – so invested he was in reptilians – and Ethan thought that sounded pretty cool. Their mother seemed to disagree. Whether or not Ethan shared some DNA with a lizard, the fact was that he never really got _warm_.

It started when Ethan got sick. _Badly_ sick. However, he never seemed to have a fever, so the doctors always dismissed it as a simple cold. Without treatment Ethan kept getting worse, and worse, and _worse_. His mother got the scare of her life when she went to check on him one morning and he was stone cold. Her scream woke Ethan up, and the woman didn’t know whether to be relieved that her son was alive or more worried than before.

A visit to the ER turned into a week under observation. Ethan vividly remembered the day when he sneezed and his snot froze up. That had been _awesome_. It also had caught the attention of more than just curious doctors, and next thing he knew his mother was saying goodbye to him.

“You be good, okay? These men will take you somewhere you can be properly taken care of.”

“But… I don’t wanna go alone.”

He really had no choice, though.

 

 

They did make Ethan better. He had hoped he could go back to his home after that, but it turned out they didn’t let him. And despite the fact that he wasn’t sick anymore, they kept running tests and more tests. Ethan just didn’t know what was going on and he just wanted to go back to his family, his friends, his dogs, and even his silly brother with his lizards.

Mark, on the other hand… He was older, so they were stricter. They kept wanting him to do the impossible. He didn’t _know_ how it had happened the first time! All he knew was that he tried to help a kid and _burst into flames_. His mother had tried to calm him down, tell him he was a very special boy and that one day he would be able to do great things. Big whoop! Why did he have to stay in this— This overly sterilized orphanage looking place?

 

Over the years, Ethan adjusted. When he was old enough they started telling him about his powers and explaining what was happening to him with a whole bunch of words that Ethan struggled to understand. So they decided that he’d get a roommate who would be able to help him a little better. And that was when Mark happened.

Mark was as hot tempered as you’d expect someone with fire running through his veins to be, though that could be attributed to his adolescence. He looked annoyed when he had to move his stuff to Ethan’s bedroom, and even more annoyed when he was forced to take the top bunk. Mark had a strict ‘only talk about necessary stuff’ policy. Ethan thought he was _so cool_.

Mark’s way of explaining things was marginally different than the way of the people in lab coats who just expected Ethan to know what cryokinesis was. So he sneezed out an ice cube _once_ , didn’t mean he was an expert. But Mark explained things in ways Ethan actually understood, and Mark felt a surge of pride and fondness whenever Ethan got through a fork on his road. They started warming up to each other, and when they were both alone in their room at night Mark would show Ethan cool tricks he had learned (Ethan’s favorite was when Mark snapped his fingers in the dark and little sparks would light up his grin).

 

Ethan finally found out how to control and manipulate his ability. It was only then that they allowed him to see his family, explaining that as young and inoffensive as a child can be, an uncontrollable power such as his could be a danger to those he loved. He totally froze Mark’s bathwater when he found out that he had hidden from Ethan that he’d been getting visits from his family.

“I didn’t want you to feel bad about it!” Mark had argued.

Ethan felt a little bad about his prank.

 

Mark was twenty, Ethan was sixteen. Mark’s training became heavier; it wasn’t just about his powers anymore, he needed to be _ready for action_. His powers had become something worthy of respect and he was fast and strong. Ethan’s serious training had just begun but he showed promise, agile and graceful as he was. It crossed his mind one day that they were becoming soldiers and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Nah, we have cool powers. We’re superheroes!” Mark saw the bigger picture. He didn’t want to think about Ethan as naïve, as some perceived him, but he knew perspective changed with age. Yes, they were soldiers; they were part of something bigger. Mark didn’t mind playing his part.

“No, we’re not. We don’t even have a cool outfit. Or capes.”

“We can get them, though.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Yes,” Mark agreed. “But if it’ll make you happy, I don’t mind wearing my underwear over my clothes.”

Ethan rolled his eyes and shoved Mark, shaking his head. “Stupid.”

“I’ve been thinking about it, though. Y’know, I’m gonna be out there soon. I want people to remember me.”

“You’re gonna be the guy shooting flames out of his palms, people will remember you.”

“No, listen. What if I dyed my hair red?”

Ethan considered it. He looked at Mark’s dark hair and arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yep. And _you_ should dye your hair blue.”

It was such a stupid idea that he might just work. And it did. They looked _pretty cool._

 

Two years passed. Ethan was eighteen when he lost control of his powers for the first time in ages— Then again, he didn’t think he had been this distressed since he was four and sent away from his family.

Mark had made Ethan promise not to do anything stupid like follow him into a battle Ethan wasn’t ready for. No matter how much he insisted on it, no matter how many times Ethan repeated that he could do it, Mark made him promise. Ethan had never broken a promise to Mark, but if he hadn’t been physically stopped by one of younger kids, that would have been the first time.

His eyes were glued to the news, always searching for Mark’s fire and the red flash of his hair. Ethan had no more nails to bite, his bottom lip was borderline raw. He kept asking his superiors to let him go, they could use the backup, they could form another team! All his pleas were in vain. And just as he was begging once more, the same kid who had covered the doorway in vines to keep Ethan locked in called his name.

Ethan’s heart stopped. Mark was on the ground, bloodied and battered, and then shot moved somewhere else. _No, no, no!_ “Let me go!” He pointed at the door way and a shard of ice cut through the vines. Ethan hadn’t meant to do it and he knew his superior was right to tell him off. Someone _could_ have gotten hurt. “Someone already has!”

“You’re staying, Ethan.”

Through the power of pshychokinesis, Ethan fell asleep.

 

They were kind enough to wake him up once Mark was transferred to the ICU. They were reluctant to let Ethan see him, but ended up conceding. Mark was asleep and Ethan didn’t even have to ask if he could stay; everyone knew he would stay regardless of whether or not he was given permission.

“Stop it, Ethan.” He had lost track of time. The gruff voice had him snapping his neck to look at Mark, finding him finally awoke and rubbing his eyes.

“I— Stop what?”

“It’s cold as balls in here.”

“Oh.” A quick glance at the window and Ethan confirmed that the glass was covered in frost. “Sorry. I didn’t realize—“

“Yeah, Elsa, I know.”

“Shut up.”

Mark smiled. “Did I look cool out there?”

Ethan couldn’t believe him. “What the _fuck_ , Mark! Are you kidding me? I was worried sick about you, they fucking forced me to sleep, you could have _died_ — Stop smiling, this is serious!”

“Hey. I’m here, aren’t I? Come on, do you think I would have died without taking you out? That sounds like a waste.”

Ethan snapped his mouth shut. There was a limit to how many different emotions he could deal with in one day, and he was far past the line at this point. His brain was buffering. He couldn’t believe this was the guy he had fallen in love with.

“Hey, can you come over here and ice my forehead? It hurts like a bitch.”

 _Unbelievable._ Ethan rolled his eyes and pressed a cold kiss to the painful looking bump above Mark’s eye.

**Author's Note:**

> One kudos = one prayer for Mark's health.  
> One comment = one prayer for Ethan's patience.
> 
> ♥


End file.
